


A New, Hopeful Year

by starlight_and_seafire



Series: Holiday Road [4]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Modern AU, New Year's Eve, New Years, POV Poe Dameron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 14:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17246102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_and_seafire/pseuds/starlight_and_seafire
Summary: Love, friendship, and the Lord of the Rings.There’s no better way to say goodbye to the past year, and to kick in the new.





	A New, Hopeful Year

“What we need is a few good taters,” Finn says, his usually deep voice softened somewhat, with just a bit of a twang to it.

Rey, her eyes widening in glee, can’t resist joining in. Her voice is high pitched and raspy as she says, “What’s taters, precious? What’s taters, eh?”

Together, they both burst out with “Po-tay-toes! Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew!” only to collapse together on the couch in a fit of giggles, while _The Two Towers_ continues to play on the television screen in front of them.

Beebee raises his head from Rose’s lap to glare at them, a stern look on his otherwise adorable face, and lets out a slight huff at having his nap interrupted, before he returns to his slumber.

Once the two have recovered from their fit of giggles, Rey leans back into Poe, and he can’t help but smile at her when she lifts her grinning face to look up at him. She snuggles back in with a sigh, and he presses a quick kiss to her hair as his arm goes to rest comfortably around her shoulders once again.

“Just how many times have you two seen these movies?” Poe asks.

Rey glances over and winks at Finn as she asks, “This year?”

Once Poe’s body stops shaking with his laughter, Rey settles more firmly into his side as the group continues to watch the movie. He’s warm, sated, and so unbelievably content right now, that he can’t help but sigh a little in pleasure. They started off the day with a late breakfast of pancakes and bacon at Rose and Finn’s house, and then kicked off what Rey and Finn had laughingly called their first annual New Year’s Eve _Lord of the Rings_ movie marathon.

Poe can see that it’s probably going to become a new tradition, based on the way Finn and Rey quote the movie with obvious ease, seamlessly sliding into impressions of the different characters.

Rey had even made Poe stop on the way over that morning so they could pick up decorations. Balloons dotted the living space, while a festive streamer exclaiming Happy New Year hung above the television. Once the other decorations were firmly in place, Rey and Finn had then carried over a paper chain made of golden construction paper, exchanging a high five after securing it into place just below the streamer.  

Poe couldn’t help but grin, and he and Rose had exchanged fond glances over their partner’s obvious glee at the golden decoration.

Now, they were well into _The Two Towers_ , and Rey is grinning so hard at a scene between Merry and Pippen that Poe can’t resist leaning down and whispering into her ear, “I’m gonna get you a pair of those hobbit feet slippers.”

The unexpected comment causes Rey to let out a snort, and she gives Rose and Finn a nonchalant shrug when they turn to look quizzically at her.

Rey turns back towards him, a teasing grin on her face, as she whispers “Are you telling me you think I’m a hobbit? What about an elf? Or maybe a dwarf. You should see me wield an axe.”

Poe’s brain can’t help but conjure the image of her wielding an axe in battle, and for a moment, he’s a little too in awe to respond. She uses his silence as an opportunity to lean forward to look into a pizza box, and finding it empty, into the second one. Upon discovering that all the pizza was gone, she sits back with a quiet noise of complaint.

Poe huffs out a laugh. “Clearly a hobbit,” he whispers, causing Rey to stick her tongue out in his direction.

Finn sees Rey’s movement and pauses the movie. “Are we out of pizza?”

“Yes!” Rey exclaims, sounding indignant.

Rose bursts out laughing. “Those were large pizzas! How many slices did you two eat?”

The question was directed at Rey and Finn, who always had the largest appetites of the four, though it was a constant mystery to Rose and Poe where they managed to put it all. (“I’m a growing boy!” Finn would usually exclaim, while Rey would just smirk and preen a little.) This time the two just shrugged.

Rose glances down at her watch. “We’ve got some snacks, but we still have at least five hours to go till midnight. Do we want to order more food?”

Rose had barely finished her sentence before twin shouts of “Yes!” came from Rey and Finn.

“We should probably order now, I bet delivery will take forever tonight. Should we get more pizza?”

After a quick debate, they settled on Chinese. Rose ordered the food, while everyone else scattered around to take advantage of the break. Poe took Beebee on a walk around the neighborhood, and once they returned to the house, Beebee gave himself a quick shake before scampering off to jump into Rose’s lap once more.

“I think I might be a little jealous,” Poe says to Rey, as he sits down next to her on the couch.

She glances over to where Beebee once more lazed about peacefully with Rose and laughed. “Me too,” she says as she hands him one of the beers she had grabbed from the fridge, leaning back into him as they both settled in with their drinks. He wraps an arm around her, pulling her in close, as the movie resumes once more.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Poe was once again struck with that warm, peaceful feeling from earlier. Sure, the air was filled with the sounds of battle as the drama continued to play out on screen, but they were amongst friends, wrapped in the warmth of each other, just enjoying the evening while waiting for the stroke of midnight.

He’s glad he stayed in this New Year’s Eve. In the past, he was usually at some party or maybe a bar, surrounded by numerous friends, acquaintances, and strangers, the noise getting louder and louder as it got closer to midnight until it was practically deafening. This year, he’s with some of his closest friends, and the woman he loves, and he’s just so, so happy. He can’t imagine a better way to spend the last day of the year.

He thinks it bodes well for the new year.

When the knock sounded on the door an hour and a half later, Rey claps her hands in glee while Finn and Rose hop up to grab the food.

“It’s been an hour and a half!” Rey exclaims when she sees his clear amusement at her eagerness.

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” he said, grinning.

“I know! I’m not upset that it took so long or anything. It’s just – I’m starving!”

Poe laughs. “See? Clearly a hobbit!” He presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “And the most beautiful hobbit I know, too.”

She sighs, leaning her head back on his shoulder. “Well, if I’m a hobbit, then you’re – you’re . . .”

“I’m who?” He asks as Rey trails off, a thoughtful expression on her face. He rubs a hand over the stubble that graces his cheek. “Maybe Aragorn? A mighty, yet dashing, warrior and commander?”

Rey smiles, glancing quickly at Beebee where he follows Rose and Finn, who are carrying the cartons of Chinese food to the table in front of them. “Commander of your corgi army? Waging war on people who talk smack about Princess Leia?”

Pods nods, a look of mock indignation on his face. “A worthy cause! And Beebee would be my most loyal operative!”

They both look over at Beebee, who is now flopped on his back beside Rose, doing his best to entice her into giving him a piece of the orange chicken from her carton.

Rey laughs, even as she reaches forward to grab a few of the cartons and chopsticks for her and Poe, while Finn continues the movie. “Aragorn, huh? I can see that, but . . . let me think about it. I’ll get back to you,” she says, as she starts to dig in to her food.

Poe grins at her, before turning his attention to his own food, letting Rey steal bites from him before they move on to other cartons. They make a large dent in the food before their stomachs grow full once more, and they lean back into each other, satiated and a little sleepy as they continue the movie marathon.

Near the end of the movie, Rey’s head is snuggled firmly into his shoulder and his head is resting atop hers. When Frodo and Sam reach the volcano, he feels her breath hitch, and a moment later a tear hits the skin of his chest that’s exposed by his V-neck shirt. He rubs a hand soothingly up and down her back as they watch the final moments of the movie play out, fighting back his own tears as _Into the West_ fills the air.

They sit in silence for a few long moments, until Finn looks at his watch, announcing in a husky voice that it was only a few minutes to midnight. Rose changes the television to a countdown on one of the network channels, while Poe gets up to help Finn with the champagne.

Poe walks back into the living room with glasses for both him and Rey, but before he can hand it to her, she wraps her arms around him, enveloping him in a hug as she presses a quick kiss to his lips.

“I’m not complaining, not at all, but what was that for?” He asks as she pulls away. She just shakes her head, a soft smile on her face. “Okay, but it’s my turn to give out the hugs next,” he says with a wink.

“Alright, you two lovebirds! It’s time for the countdown!” Rose playfully shouts at them from across the living room. They walk over to join Finn and Rose as the TV announcers count down the last few seconds of the year.

At the stroke of midnight, a celebratory cheer goes up in the living room, as glasses are clinked together and hugs are exchanged.

“Happy New Year,” Poe whispers, leaning down to press a kiss to Rey’s smiling lips. He can’t help but let his hand cradle her cheek for a moment longer as he gazes at her.

“Happy New Year,” she whispers back.

In the hour that passes after they ring in the new year, the celebrations continue. Beebee wandered off to Finn and Rose’s darkened bedroom at some point, looking to continue his nap, while the merrymaking continued in the living room, another bottle of champagne being cracked open while the music was turned up. Once that bottle of champagne had disappeared, the petite Rose had pulled Rey into something resembling a waltz. Rose led them around the living room, slightly offbeat to the tempo of the music though very enthusiastic, which caused Finn and Poe to practically collapse in a fit of laughter on the couch.

Minutes later, Finn is snoring on the couch while Poe helps Rose take the champagne glasses and leftover food to the kitchen. He’s racking his brain trying to figure out the best way to cajole a sleepy Beebee from the bedroom to their home five minutes away, while keeping an eye on a tipsy Rey (who is currently busily looking for a sharpie, but thankfully, at least for Finn, not succeeding.)

“I don’t mind taking Beebee for the night. He’s always welcome here,” Rose says to a grateful Poe.

After saying goodnight to Rose (and Rey giving one last pouting look at her failed mission to give Finn some lovely artwork), they start making their way home.

They’re not alone on the street, as they occasionally pass other small packs of revelers making their way home or heading to their next party, and sporadic bursts of fireworks keep going off in the surrounding neighborhood. But the air is cool, and there’s a slight fog in the air, and despite the other people hurrying along, Poe feels peaceful strolling side by side with Rey.

Rey bumps his shoulder with hers, and he turns to look at her. She’s grinning, and her eyebrows waggle a little as she asks him, “Piggyback ride?”

Her happiness is infectious, and he laughs and crouches down just enough to let her clamber onto his back. It’s only another minute or two to his house, so he starts hoofing it down the street as her giggles fill the air around them. Rey tucks her face next to his as he carries her, her cold nose causing goosebumps to prickle along his skin.

“I figured it out,” Rey says, her lips brushing against the skin near his ear. He makes a little humming noise, encouraging her to continue whatever thought has sprung to her wonderful mind while he covers the last few yards to his house. “You’re Samwise Gamgee. I mean, you remind me of Aragorn, too. But when it comes down to it, at your core, I think you’re Sam. Loyal. Hopeful. Brave. Would never break a promise. You’re Sam.”

He recalls her sighs and teary eyes all those times Sam stuck by Frodo’s side despite the obstacles, despite the fear, despite all the odds against them. He can probably guess at what a character like Sam means to her. What he knows of her life so far, the bits and pieces that have been whispered to him in quiet moments, he knows those qualities were missing in far too many of the people that surrounded her when she was growing up.

But she thinks he’s like Sam, and something settles warm in his stomach at the thought. He knows he will do everything in his power to live up to that belief she has in him, to ensure that she continues having a steady presence like Sam in her life.

He walks up the last few steps to his house and gently eases her down so that he can get his keys from his pocket and unlock the door. The second the door closes behind them though, he turns to her and cradles her face in his hands.

The air is warm, and a shaft of moonlight streams in through the window to softly illuminate them. Outside, the occasional distant sound of revelry can still be heard.

But inside, it is quiet, just him and Rey, and the hopeful promise of the new year.


End file.
